The Necromancer
by metforce
Summary: A mysterious boy contacts Beast Boy asking for help. But his request opens up something Beast Boy thought he had buried long ago. Beast BoyRaven nonromantic pairing. Some crude language, violence and mature content.
1. Chapter 1

**The Necromancer**

A mysterious boy contacts Beast Boy asking for help. But his request opens up something Beast Boy thought he had buried long ago. BBxRae (non-romantic) pairing. Some crude language, violence and mature content.

**Chapter 1: The Meeting**

Beast Boy perched calmly on the roof of the dark dilapidated row house. His green eyes focused intensely on the residence directly across from him. The street was enshrined in shadow. Not surprising since most of the street lights had been shot out. Beast Boy paused then looked back down at the dirty envelope that had been left for him that afternoon. In it he found an old photograph of a young couple that looked hauntingly familiar. The note accompanying the photo was equally mysterious. On it was an address, a time and instructions to come alone.

The night was cool and the quarter moon was rising. Beast Boy shivered. He had been watching the place for over an hour. No one had come or gone. He was wary of a trap but his curiosity finally overcame his sense for safety. "If I get in trouble I can always change into something and get away," he tried to convince himself.

Beast Boy leaped off the roof and morphed into an owl. Swooping down from his safe perch he sliced through the night air landing in front of the entrance to the house he had been casing for the last hour. The door was slightly ajar. He took a moment to look over the place. Most of the windows had been broken long ago. The remains of a moldy couch occupied the porch. Beast Boy gingerly made his way to the door trying to avoid any broken glass or used syringes. As he grasped the door knob he noticed a small crumpled piece of paper taped to the door. It flapped lightly in the night breeze. Beast Boy reached up, plucked the paper from the door and tried to angle it into the moonlight to read the message written on it.

"Please come in. Welcome and thanks," Beast Boy read the note aloud to himself. "Well if it's a trap, they sure are polite." Beast Boy grunted as he pushed hard on the front door. It gave way grudgingly. He wedged his leg inside then used his hands to pry the door back further. Beast Boy could hear the scrapping of debris lodged on the other side of the door as he pushed his way into the house.

It was nearly pitch black inside and a musty odor permeated the building. Beast Boy waited another moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Trash was strewn all over the floor. He stood in a large receiving room with a curved staircase leading up to the second floor. At one time this place was a grand home with many people but that time had passed long ago and all that filled this place now was probably a couple of pigeons and an odd stray cat.

Beast Boy looked down and noticed a small candle burning on the floor; next to it was another small crumpled note. He bent down to read it under the candle's feeble light.

"Take me and follow the happy feet." Beast Boy quickly looked around. The house was quiet except for a faint scrapping sound coming from the back end of the building. This didn't seem like a trap. He cautiously picked up the candle then looked down at the floor. On it he found small foot prints that glowed lightly in the dark. They led down the hall to the back of the house. Beast Boy thought he could see a faint light ahead of him. He carefully proceeded down the darkened hall clutching his small candle and looking down occasionally to make sure he was still following the foot prints on the floor.

At the end of the hall and to the right was a small room that occupied the back half of the bottom floor. The room was filled with soft candle light. A lone figure with his back to him was sweeping debris from the floor. Beast Boy could see a stained mattress with a rolled up sleeping bag in one corner of the room. The figure paused sensing another presence in the room then turned to face him.

"Beast Boy you came!" a boy's voice emerged from the figure. Beast Boy estimated the person turning towards him was in his early teens. He had long dark hair that fell chaotically around his narrow face. He wore a white T-shirt that covered his sleek frame with dark jeans and black leather boots that appeared several sizes too large.

"I w-w-wasn't s-sure y-you'd come," the boy's face contorted as he stuttered though his words.

"Yea, I'm here," Beast Boy replied unsure what else to say.

"I'm just t-t-trying to clean up." The boy looked around then swept some more debris out of the middle of the room. "It's not p-p-pretty b-b-but I've been in w-worse."

"This place is yours?" Beast Boy inquired.

"N-no of c-c-course not," he nervously replied. "I j-just need a place to s-s-sleep."

Beast Boy took a closer look at the room and took pity on the boy. "I can't believe you'd stay here. Where are your parents?"

The boy looked down and took a couple of feeble strokes with the broom. "I d-d-don't have any," he replied.

"Hey, I've got this great place with plenty of room. You're more than welcome to come back with me," Beast Boy offered. "I'm sure my friends…"

"N-N-NO!" the boy quickly interrupted. He looked terrified at the prospect. "Y-your friends w-w-will m-m-mind when they know what I-I-I am."

Beast Boy was puzzled by the boy's response; he continued to stand in the room looking down hugging the broom stick close to him. After a moment he looked up into Beast Boy's eyes.

"B-B-Beast Boy, I need your h-help," he gently pleaded.

"Sure, anything, um," Beast Boy paused trying to extract the boy's name.

"Gregory."

"Gregory," Beast Boy continued. "What can I do?"

Gregory paused unsure how to put forth his proposal. He took another stroke with his broom and knocked an empty glass bottle across the floor. It rolled into the corner and clacked loudly as it struck the baseboard.

"Where do I start?" the boy nervously laughed as he clutched the broom handle and looked vacantly into the corner where the bottle had come to rest. His voice started as a mere whisper. "I-I-I'll always remember that day. It's played in my mind a million times." Gregory looked back at Beast Boy brushing the hair from his eyes, his voice was suddenly calm and distant. "I was a kid, maybe six. I came home after school," Gregory paused a his face contorted as the source of his grief all came back to him. "The front door was open. I walked in and called out for my parents. Everything was all messed up inside. I found them, my parents," he paused again trying to compose himself. "They must have been there when the guy broke in. One of my neighbors found me in my mother's arms the next day." Beast Boy struggled to piece together the scene Gregory had just described. "They eventually found the guy who killed my parents; some crack head looking for easy money. He was probably so high he had no idea what he was doing. He's upstate serving life or something. I really don't care what happens to him." Gregory closed his eyes and his head slunk down a little.

"I went to my aunt's after my parents' funerals. I was inconsolable; constantly asking for my Mom and Dad, wanting to go home, running away whenever I had the chance. It drove her crazy. Eventually I went to foster care but I didn't do any better there and wound up in a boys home," Gregory let out a short burst of laughter. "Hated it, so I just took off, didn't look back. I've drifted from town to town, staying in places like this. Always longing to be with them. That's when I took up the dark arts, to try and contact them." Beast Boy shuddered as the room suddenly became a lot colder and darker. "They call it necromancy; do you know what that is Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy shook his head no.

"It's the study of the dead. I've drifted here and there trying to piece together the spells of this lost art." Gregory slowly put down the broom and took a step towards Beast Boy. Beast Boy took half a step backwards trying to keep a safe distance from this dark soul.

"P-p-please, don't leave," Gregory halted aware of the dread he had suddenly created. "W-w-we have something in common."

"What?" Beast Boy replied fearing Gregory's response.

"Y-y-your parents died when you were little too."

Beast Boy frowned and looked away quickly feeling violated by Gregory's revelation. "How do you know?!?" he sneered.

"I-I-I know," Gregory whispered. "It's OK; it's not your fault."

Beast Boy clenched his fist at his side and closed his eyes as a sudden rage swirled inside him. This person had found that dreaded hole in his heart he thought he had covered up long ago.

Gregory cautiously approached Beast Boy and lightly clasped his arm that held the crumpled envelope and gently took it from his clenched fist. "I found this picture; do you know who these people are?" Beast Boy kept his eyes pinched shut and nodded affirmative. "They were good people Beast Boy," Gregory tried to console him. Beast Boy slowly opened his eyes and looked at the old picture of his parents Gregory held in his hand.

"I-I-I want to show you s-something." Gregory turned and went to his mattress and pulled out several unlit candles. "Afterwards y-y-you can decide if you still want to help me."

On the floor was a large circle with a five-point star contained within it. Gregory placed a candle on each point of the star where it intersected the circle. On the point between him and Beast Boy Gregory place a large red candle. The other four he lit with a lighter. He sat cross legged in the middle of the circle facing Beast Boy.

"P-P-Please come sit with me," Gregory beckoned him forward. Beast Boy held fast unwilling to come forward for fear of what other ghosts this young man could conjure up. "I-I-I promise this won't harm you," Gregory tried to reassure him.

"Just l-l-let me show you this. Y-Y-You can walk out of here afterwards and owe me nothing," Gregory pleaded.

Beast Boy reluctantly came forward and sat down in front of him. His eyes narrowed in distrust and anger.

"L-L-Light the candle," Gregory gently instructed. Beast Boy took his candle from the entrance area and touched the burning end to the unlit wick. The flame dimmed then took hold and flickered to life. Beast Boy pulled his candle away and looked up into Gregory's pale face.

Gregory placed the photo on the floor in front of him then pulled a small penknife from his boot and unfolded the blade. He quickly sliced the blade through his thumb and pressed several drops of his own blood onto the photo.

"I-I-I'll need some from you," Gregory said firmly. Beast Boy hesitated again. "I p-p-promised you that you wouldn't be harmed. This will hurt a little b-b-but not harm you." Beast Boy held fast not sure if he should cooperate. Gregory's eye's glimmered in the soft candle light. "P-P-Please," his voice barely rose above a whisper.

Beast Boy stared into his dark eyes then put his candle down, took off his glove and offered his hand. Gregory took it gently; his hands were ice cold. He first put the blade in the large candle Beast Boy had just lit and slowly rotated it in the flame. He centered Beast Boy's hand over the picture, cut a small slice in his thumb with the blackened blade and squeezed out several drops of blood onto the photo.

Gregory released his grip and Beast Boy pulled his hand back to his side. Gregory folded the blade and put it outside of the circle next to Beast Boy. "So y-y-you know I'm unarmed. It w-w-won't matter anyway because I'll b-b-be real out of it when this is over."

Gregory looked up into Beast Boy's cold stare. "Are you afraid?" Beast Boy shook his head no. "Good, y-y-you shouldn't be." He smiled slightly then picked up the picture being careful to keep it level as he raised it over the red candle's flame. He tilted it so that their blood slowly ran down the photo. It clung to the bottom of the picture forming a drop that was poised to fall off the edge. Gregory lowered the bottom of the photo with blood drop into the candle's flame.

Beast Boy looked into Gregory's face; his hair hung down partially obscuring it. Gregory's eyes rolled back in his head. Beast Boy looked back down at the photo Gregory held as the candle flame dimmed. The blood drop slowly sizzled as the flame began to consume the photo. The room suddenly became very bright driving away the darkness.

"The dead lights," Gregory whispered as his mind careened beyond the Turtle and towards that special place of insanity.

Beast Boy squinted as he stared into the bright light. In it he saw two silhouettes. Their outlines roughly resembled the two people in the photograph. As his eyes adjusted to the light their features became more clear, their eyes fell eerily on him blinking slowly. Beast Boy felt the presence of his long dead parents. He tried to call out to them but his voice failed him. The light began to fade as a cool wind wind hit his face carrying with it the sweet smell of decay. He desperately reached towards his parents as the last light faded casting shadows across their faces before they disappeared.

The darkness returned. Beast Boy sat in the musty room with his hand out stretched in the air. Gregory's head had slumped forward. The smell of burning flesh filled the air; he had not dropped the photo even as it burned his fingers. Beast Boy reached through Gregory's dangling hair and gently clasped his chin. He raised his head up to face his. Gregory's eyes were closed as he drew quick short breaths.

"W-W-Will you help me?", Gregory said in a desperate voice.

"Yes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Search**

Raven's room was almost completely dark. Beast Boy had snuck in looking for the book of the dead that Gregory insisted she had hidden in her room. He glanced around as his heart raced. If she found out he was in her room things would really hit the fan.

"Damn, there must be a thousand books in here," he softly whispered to himself. The less time he spent in Raven's room the better. He held his breath as he heard Raven sigh in her sleep then gently roll over in her bed.

Beast Boy began to sweat; how the hell was he going to find this book. He morphed into a blood hound and began sampling the air. He couldn't see anything anyway; maybe there was some peculiar scent to the book he was looking for.

Bingo, he thought. Beast Boy caught the hint of a horrible stench from one of the corners of the room. He tracked it to one of Raven's book shelves tucked away in the corner. Beast Boy morphed back and tried to silently remove the books from the shelf seeking the book Gregory had described. After several minutes he extracted a book with an unusual texture. He put the book down then morphed back into a blood hound to take a quick whiff. Oh yea, that was it. He returned to his human form and stood up trying to make out the features of the book in the dim light of Raven's room.

As he turned the book over to inspect the other side it was pulled violently from his hand. Beast Boy squinted in the dark and noticed a figure sitting on the end of the bed. The lights suddenly flickered to life.

Raven sat on the end of her bed with the book clutched in one of her hands. She was dressed in a black sweater and gray sweat pants. She looked harshly at Beast Boy.

"Um, hey Raven," Beast Boy waved and let out a nervous laugh.

"What are you doing in my room Beast Boy," she said in a stern voice.

"Ah, sleep walking?" he lamely offered.

"Huh," she replied. "Doing some light reading too?"

Beast Boy smiled and reached behind his head and scratched the back of his neck nervously. Raven turned her attention to the book, flipped it open and casually leafed through the pages.

"Since when do you have an interest in the dead?" she questioned. Beast Boy returned a blank stare.

Raven closed the book and laid it on her bed. She crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest fixing an icy stare on her colleague.

"Have a seat." A chair flew over and landed next to Beast Boy.

"I'd rather stand," Beast Boy mildly protested.

"Oh, I insist." Raven's cape flew over and quickly wrapped tightly around Beast Boy then roughly deposited him onto the chair.

"There, isn't that better? OK, let's try this again. What are you doing in my room," she sternly asked. Beast Boy gulped hard but refused to answer her question.

"Taking the fifth, huh?" she coldly replied. Beast Boy shot a confused look at her.

"All right we'll do this the hard way." Raven's cape constricted causing Beast Boy to grunt heavily.

"Ahh, OK I'll talk," Beast Boy struggled as Raven's cape constricted even tighter.

"I'm glad you've changed your mind," Raven replied as she loosened the grip of her cape around her entangled friend.

"I meet this kid tonight. He sent me a letter asking me to meet him," Beast Boy quickly explained. "I went to the address. He knew all about me, and about what happened to my parents."

Raven looked puzzled. Beast Boy had never mentioned his parents to any of the other Titans.

Beast Boy paused for a second then looked down uncomfortably. "He knew they were dead." Raven was dumbfounded.

"He did something with an old photo. I saw them Raven, I saw my parents," Beast Boy continued. "He used some kind of spell, said he was a necromancer, a speaker with the dead."

Raven's mind raced through all she knew of that long abolished art. There hadn't been any necromancers in ages.

"He said you had a book that could help him contact the dead. I couldn't help myself, I had to help him," Beast Boy looked up with pleading eyes.

"Beast Boy, there are no necromancers left. They've been extinct for centuries; banished from this realm," she explained. "It was just a trick, you can't contact the dead."

"No," Beast Boy screamed. "I felt them, they were there!"

Raven glared at her bound companion. Beast Boy returned her stare as his chest heaved outward from under her cape. Raven's eyes narrowed. "Take me to him," she demanded.

Beast Boy looked down in defiance. Raven's cape tightened once again. Beast Boy yelped in pain.

"OK, OK, I'll take you," Beast Boy struggled to get his words out. "But you can't hurt him."

"Beat Boy he tricked you. He's a liar," Raven countered.

"Promise me," Beast Boy locked eyes with her again. Raven's cape constricted further. Beast Boy groaned in agony but refused to yield. Raven loosened her grip when she saw Beast Boy's face start to turn blue. Beast Boy leaned forward and drew several strained breaths. "Promise me you won't attack him," Beast Boy insisted as he struggle to regain his breath.

"I promise," Raven reluctantly replied. Raven's cape loosened around Beast Boy's torso as her hood flapped over his face obscuring his view.

"Hey what gives?" Beast Boy called out in confusion.

"I need to change," Raven replied as she pulled her night cloths off and tossed them on her bed. Beast Boy heard light footsteps cross the room followed by silence. The toilet flushed and foot steps reentered the room. There was a slide of the closet door then the soft scraping sound of cloth against skin. Raven's cape unwrapped from Beast Boy then flew over to Raven's hand. She shot Beast Boy a sleek smile as she pulled it over her shoulders.

"Hey, it's a bitch getting this thing off to go the bathroom," she replied to Beast Boy's smirk. "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Return**

Beast Boy stood on the porch of the row house he had entered alone just hours before. It was suddenly much more ominous than he remembered earlier. Raven nudged him forward.

"Come on let's go," she said.

"All right, relax will you?" Beast Boy nervously replied.

He pushed the door open. It creaked as it slowly swung open into the large entrance area. Nothing had changed, though Beast Boy felt much more apprehensive this time for some reason.

Raven inspected the room then pushed her friend forward. "What a dump. Where to?"

"Easy," Beast Boy protested. He shuffled his feet forward. "Down the hall and to the back. Can't you use one of your spells to lighten this place up so I can see where we're going?" he nervously requested.

Raven rapped her closed fist on Beast Boy's head. "Duh, dark powers," she replied mockingly. "What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?"

"No," he said unconvincingly

"Come on, I'll be right behind you." She grabbed his shoulders pointed him towards the back room and pushed him forward.

"OK, I'm going. Stop pushing!" he protested. Beast Boy slowly shuffled down the hall . He saw a faint light coming from the back of the house but felt Gregory was no longer there. He sighed in relief as more light spilled into the hallway.

The room was empty except for the mattress. The large red candle flickered in the dark nearly spent. The others had gone out leaving small white blobs of wax on the floor. There was a small piece of paper taped to the floor near the lit candle.

Raven circled around Beast Boy who stood still as he surveyed the musty room. Raven walked up to the candle and looked at the markings on the floor. She frowned slightly; a magician's circle. She bent down picked up the note then angled it into the candle's feeble light.

"Meet me in the cemetery, outside the northwest mausoleum, bring your friend," she read the note aloud then walked over to Beast Boy. "Is this his hand writing?"

Beast Boy took the note and tried to inspect the writing. It looked similar to what he saw on Gregory's other notes. "Yea I think so."

"OK, let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Cemetery**

Beast Boy stood outside the dimly lit gate of the city's main cemetery freaking out. He could make out the pale gravestones in the faint moonlight. Raven looked over slightly amused at her colleagues's unfounded fear.

"Do we have to go in there?" he asked Raven knowing what her answer would be.

"Come on it's just an old grave yard. This is where people try and lay to rest all their sorrows. I've been here lots of times. There's nothing to be afraid of; everyone's dead," Raven calmly explained to her frightened partner knowing it would only add to his anxiety.

Beast Boy shuddered. "You mean you've been here before, at night?!?"

"Maybe."

"You're weird."

"Thanks, I try to be; it keeps the riff-raff away," she casually replied. "Come on let's go."

"Wait, shouldn't we get the others?" Beast Boy countered trying any excuse to delay them.

"No, let'em sleep," she quickly replied. "Besides we can handle this little trickster." Beast Boy immediately shot her a hurt look. "Come on it's this way."

Raven led them through the gate and up a path that had a slight incline to it. Beast Boy looked anxiously to either side. The rows of grave stones glowed ominously. He froze as the large trees creaked and groaned in the soft night wind. Beast Boy jumped as he felt Raven's hand rest lightly on his shoulder. He looked over and could see her smiling in the faint moonlight. He shot her an angry look then trudged forward on the small trail they were following.

Beast Boy saw a pale figure perched on the end of a wide crypt. His pounding heart and frayed nerves began to settle as he made his way towards him. "There he is," Beast Boy pointed to the solitary figure.

Gregory sat on the edge of the crypt. His one leg dangled loosely over the edge. His arms were wrapped around his drawn up knee and his head rested lightly on the side of it. The wind lightly rustled his dark hair around his pale face.

Beast Boy walked towards him, reached up and lightly shook him from his sleep. His dark bloodshot eyes slowly opened and his mouth pulled up into a soft smile. "Beast Boy, you came. Thank you," he said in relief.

Gregory slowly lowered his knee but remained perched on the edge of the crypt. His eyes sunk back in his face and he looked much more gaunt and skeletal than Beast Boy remembered him back at the row house.

"D-D-Did you bring the book," he slowly asked.

Beast Boy looked down then turned his head and looked at Raven who remained a safe distance from the pair. She casually lifted the book into the air.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she coldly asked.

Gregory slide off the side of the crypt and took several tentative steps towards Raven.

"Y-Y-Yes, may I have it p-p-please."

"You've got a lot of nerve you sick little brat," Raven said harshly. "Nosing around in other peoples business. Conjuring up false visions to play on people's emotions so that they'd steal something for your selfish little desires. This is why there are no necromancers; they were banished long ago. They were evil people playing on other people's sorrow for their own profit and entertainment."

Gregory froze pained by Raven's stinging criticism. "N-N-No, it's not l-l-like t-t-that at all." His face contorted heavily as he stumbled through his words. "I-I-I only w-w-want t-t-to c-c-contact B-B-Beast Boy's p-p-parents."

"You're lying you stuttering little freak," Raven quickly countered. "If you wanted this book why didn't you just come and ask me for it instead of playing with Beast Boy's mind and trying to get him to take it from me," she shot back angrily.

Gregory turned to Beast Boy. "Y-Y-You d-d-don't b-b-believe her, do y-you?" Beast Boy looked down suddenly consumed with doubt. Gregory turned and walked back to the crypt. "I-I-I thought you would help me," he said to him in a soft wounded voice.

"Gregory, wait," Beast Boy walked towards the necromancer.

Gregory reached up grabbed something off of the top of the crypt and turned around. His eyes were pinched shut. In his hands he held a short wooden staff made of gnarled wood and topped with a human skull.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry I-I h-have to d-d-do this to you Beast Boy," he said apologetically. "I have to h-h-have t-t-the book. Y-Y-You understand."

Gregory's eyes suddenly shot open full of anger and rage. "Behold Beast Boy. I summon your parents from beyond!" he announced in a startlingly clear and booming voice.

From the cemetery grass white wisps of smoke slowly rose in front of Beast Boy. He stood riveted in his place as the mists took the form of the figures he had seen in the dead lights. Beast Boy's face contorted in unexpected horror as the ghosts of his parents floated towards him. Their bodies became consumed in decay as low wails filled the air. Beast Boy staggered backwards then took off down the path towards the cemetery gates. The apparitions glided through the night air in pursuit.

Raven watched as Beast Boy beat a hasty retreat. She frowned and turned towards Gregory intending to teach him a lesson. The boy stood in front of the crypt, eye's tightly closed and arms held close to his sides as he struggled to hold back the dark tide that was now consuming him.

"P-P-Please Raven, just give me t-t-the book. I-I-I don't want any more hurt," he begged one last time.

"Listen good you little shit, there's no way you're getting this book," she replied.

Gregory's eyes shot back open as he cracked a satisfied smile. "Very well then, if it's a fight you want", he snarled, "then it's a fight you'll get."

"You're going to need more than gross illusions to scare me," Raven confidently countered.

Gregory held out his hands and smiled back at Raven. "Rise and serve me." The ground broke open in several places as bony hands clawed through it. Several skeletons slowly emerged from their open graves. Their bodies slumped forward slightly and their limbs hung loosely at their sides. They shuffled slowly towards their master.

Raven let out a short laugh at Gregory's pitiful creations. She would make quick work of them. "Azerack, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven's dark powers shot towards Gregory and his squad of skeletons.

Raven screamed in agony and dropped to her knees as the book fell to the ground. She felt as if she had just closed her hand on a ten thousand volt power line. Her powers were being drained by Gregory's undead servants. Their bodies quickly perked up and their eyes glowed deep red filled with her power. Raven struggled to cut them from her.

Gregory looked at his creations and smiled. "Using black magic against my evil servants; what a great idea. And I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," he said mockingly. "SEIZE HER!"

The skeletons paused momentarily then began to stumble towards Raven. Raven took a couple of quick breaths then reached down and grabbed the book from the grass. She was beginning to think she had underestimated her opponent. She couldn't fly the skeletons were still connected to her and using her powers would only make them stronger.

Raven turned quickly and slammed her knee and hip into a large headstone. She spun around awkwardly and tumbled to the ground groaning in pain. The skeletons were nearly on her; their bones dully rattled in the cool night air. Raven stood up and limped back through the line of markers. In one of the rows of head stones she saw a dark sphere floating in the air. Beneath it lay a statue of a lamb with a small box of flowers nestled next to it. She spied something planted in the ground and raced towards it grimacing in pain. Her hand reached down and plucked a crucifix from the wet grass and quickly turned around and held it up to her pursuers.

The crucifix began to glow brightly in the dark illuminating the bleached bones of a half dozen skeletons that were closing in on her. There was a piercing shriek as they melted back into the earth under the crucifix's harsh light.

Raven rubbed her hip trying to relieve the pain. Gregory slowly walked towards her through the rows of markers. "Oh that was so close," he said in slight disappointment. Raven was panting as her hip and knee throbbed with pain.

Gregory halted several rows away from her and tilted his head downwards causing his hair to fall over his eyes. "Rise angry spirit and serve me," he growled.

From one of the grave stones a white apparition rose slowly into the night air. Raven could make out the white wedding dress of some long-ago bride as it approached her. The woman's face was gaunt, her skin drawn tightly across her skull, her eye sockets were empty and black, her mouth gaped open frozen in wailing agony.

Raven held up the crucifix for protection but its light quickly faded as the ghost drifted towards her. She stepped backwards but the apparition closed in and latched onto her arms. The ghost's grip was icy cold, sending waves of searing pain through her body. Raven shivered uncontrolably as her own heart beat pounded in her ears. The apparition's eyes began to glow red and a pink rhythmic light began to pulse in her chest.

Raven looked down at her hands. Her joints swelled and her fingernails turned yellow. She could see her skin wrinkle and her hair grow in length as it turned jet white. In moments she would collapse into a rotting corpse as the apparition drained the last remnants of her life force. Her only hope was to try and establish a link with this spirit and plead for mercy. Raven's mind reached out.

"I WAS CHEATED OF MY LIFE, NOW I SHALL TAKE YOURS!" the spirit cried angrily. It repeated these words over and over consumed by some maddening rage.

"No, life is loved! Taking mine will not return yours," Raven countered hoping she could trigger some memory of better times for this tormented soul. She reached out begging for mercy.

Slowly the spirit's tormented voice diminished in Raven's mind. Its harsh red eyes faded then became filled with a bright white light as the apparition slowly dissolved into the night air.

Raven collapsed to her knees drained by the confrontation but restored to her former self. Gregory stepped closer to her. He was mildly surprised by her tenacity. Raven fell forward panting heavily as she hung on by a thread. She raised her head as the young necromancer approached her.

"Man, you're good. Let's see how you do when you can't breath." Gregory bent over then pounded the head of his staff into the grass with a sick thud.

Gas bubbles boiled out of the ground underneath Raven. She gasped as the poisonous vapors filled her lungs. The horrible stench of death consumed her. She fell backwards dropped the book and rolled on her side fighting for air. She raised herself on all fours coughing violently then vomited into the grass.

A light wind mercifully passed over Raven wafting the poisonous vapors away from her and replacing them with sweet smelling fresh air. Raven wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to spit the bile from her mouth. She gasped for air as her head spun out of control. The spinning slowly stopped and she quickly glanced around looking for the book. It lay several yards from her. She could see Gregory slowly approaching her.

Raven willed her body forward on all fours coughing, gagging and drawing short gasps of air. The book must not fall into the necromancer's hands.

"Raven, meet my dear friend Dexter," Gregory sneered as he angrily kicked her in her gut.

The air rushed out of Raven's lungs as she cried in pain falling face first into the cold wet grass. She willed herself back up on all fours struggling to fill her lungs.

Gregory stood over her as she slowly resumed her struggle towards the book. Another wave of anger filled the young man as he remembered Raven's earlier harsh words. He took a deep breath and prepared to deliver another swift kick. "Take this you dirty CUNT!" His boot swung heavily into her stomach once again.

Raven moaned in agony as she fell flat. Her body was spent; her head spun wildly as the last bit of thought passed through her mind. The book became her single obsession. With her remaining strength she reached forward sliding her hand through the cold grass.

Gregory pressed his boot on Raven's elbow halting it short of the book. He looked down and smiled. Raven's eyes flickered back meeting his. He raised his staff over his head and brought it downwards snuffing out the last bit of consciousness she possessed.

Gregory smiled then reached down and clasped the book. How long had he waited for this moment? He stood up and looked at his fallen opponent; he had only delivered a knock-out blow not a lethal one. Necromancers never spilled precious blood needlessly.

"Rise and serve me." Gregory summoned one more spirit to assist him. The vaporous form rose from the ground as the spirit awaited its instructions.

"Take her," Gregory instructed. Raven's limp unconscious body rose from the ground carried by spirit Gregory had summoned. The trio proceeded slowly back up to his parents' crypt . Raven's body was laid across the cold stone slab. "Be gone," Gregory casually waved his hand and the spirit vanished into the night air.

Gregory's eyes filled with tears as he stooped in front of his parents' crypt gently tracing their engraved names. "I-I-I miss you," he whispered as he rubbed his eyes to flush the tears from them.

He quickly stood up and walked around to the side of the crypt. He reached into his rolled up sleeping bag and withdrew a knife. It was in the form of a snake with the tail making a wicked serpentine blade.

Gregory placed the book of the dead on the crypt's stone slab. He paged through it looking for the spell that would bring his parents back from the dead. The spell would require a massive blood sacrifice and now he had the means to do in Raven's unconscious body. He paused and watched Raven's chest rise slowly and exhale small misty clouds from her nose. She was still alive so he could proceed. He gently pushed her head to the side facing away from him then ran his fingers down the line of her jaw to her neck. Raven's aorta pulsed slowly marking the point where Gregory would have to drive his knife.

He slowly raised the wicked blade above his head and paused. Gregory drew short quick breaths. His eyes were wide open in perfect understanding of what he was about to do. Tears welled up in his eyes as his blade hand shook uncontrollably.

Gregory lowered his blade hand slightly and closed his eyes. "N-N-No." He was struggling, unsure if he had the heart to proceed. The book's pages flip softly in the night wind.

When he opened his eyes he thought he heard the fluttering of wings before a green blur crashed into him knocking him down and driving him hard into the grass. The blade fluttered out of his grasp and stuck in the ground several feet from him.

Beast Boy fell heavily onto Gregory pinning him to the ground. "NO, NO NO!' he shouted as he rained round houses onto his pinned opponent. Gregory raised his arms trying to deflect Beast Boy's blows.

Beast Boy grunted heavily as he continued to rain punches down on his prone opponent. He pinched his eyes tight letting his rage flow freely through him. Soon he felt his fists hitting the soggy ground as the cold wetness worked its way through his gloves. When he opened his eyes Gregory was no longer there.

Beast Boy gasped and looked around desperately seeking his opponent. There was nothing but small tendrils of mist floating over the many grave markers surrounding him. He stood up and listened but could only hear the sound of his short breaths filling the air.

"Gotta get out of here," Beast Boy said to himself. He bolted back to the crypt. Raven's unconscious body lay sprawled out on top of it. He grabbed the book then gently cradled her limp body to him and ran down the path to the cemetery gate.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Aftermath**

Raven slowly opened her eyes. She looked up into a thousand stars that flickered above her. She drew a deep breath and groaned in pain. Gregory had worked her over real good. She tried to sit up but her stomach cramped angrily at this attempt so she rolled over and pushed herself up slowly to her knees. Beast Boy was kneeling several yards away staring blankly at the book of the dead that he held in his hands. Steam gently rose from his sweaty matted hair.

Raven gingerly crawled over to him and grasped the book with her hand. He resisted her at first but eventually relented and let her take it from him. Beast Boy let his hands fall to his knees but his eyes continued to look blankly at the space that had been previously occupied by the book.

Raven opened the book and quickly inspected it. It appeared to be whole with no pages missing. She was going to have to find a safer place for it. "Where's Gregory?" she frantically asked him.

"You abandon me," Beast Boy replied distantly in a weak voice.

Raven shot her partner an annoyed look. He had not answered her question.

"You abandoned me," Beast Boy repeated as he turned his full attention to her. "I had to fight those things by myself."

Raven remembered what had happened in the cemetery. She now felt a tinge of guilt for leaving her friend to face the images of his dead parents.

"I knew I had to go back; you were in trouble. When I got back up there you were laying unconscious on the crypt. Gregory was going to sacrifice you. I jumped him and I had him pinned down but then he just disappeared," Beast Boy explained.

Raven looked down. She had been wrong about so many things tonight; the strength of her opponent and now how much heart Beast Boy had for her.

"I'm sorry."

Raven looked up at Beast Boy as he slowly rose to his feet.

"I'm really, really, really sorry," he continued. "I'm a lousy friend. I almost got you killed," he paused then let out a small sigh. "But I couldn't help it." Beast Boy turned away from her, folded his arms across his chest and looked up at the setting moon.

"He brought them back," he whispered turning his head to look at her. "My parents, he brought them back," he turned his head back and glanced up at the moon once more. "You know, I've never really thought about them much. They died when I was little," he paused then looked down. "All this time and I've hardly ever thought of them, never visited their grave...nothing." He turned and fixed his gaze on her. Raven watched Beast Boy's eyes glistened softly in the moonlight. "Funny, huh?" he let out a short laugh then turned back to the moon. "But he brought them back," Beast Boy's faltering voice whispered. "They were there; I saw them, felt them, now I can't get them out of my mind," he paused again. "I needed that book. I needed to talk to them, to let them know I'm OK."

Beast Boy turned his head back to Raven. "I can't now, can I?" Raven drew the book close to her chest and slowly shook her head no.

Beast Boy looked down then turned to the cemetery and scowled in anger. "WHY DID YOU BRING THEM BACK!" he shouted towards the empty graveyard. His last words echoed slightly. "I BURIED YOU!" he shouted defiantly as he raised his fist towards the grave markers. Beast Boy was breathing heavily pushing out clouds of mist into the cool night air. "But you came back," he said in a low tortured voice. "Why did you have to come back?" Soft sobs started to fall out of him. He curled his hands into tight fists by his side. "WHAT KIND OF SON AM I?!" he screamed into the night desperately seeking a reply. Only silence ensued; no spirits would answer.

Beast Boy fell to his knees and pounded the ground in frustration. He opened his fists then clasped the grass and savagely ripped it from the ground then fell forward sliding his face across the cold wet grass "What kind of son am I?" he whispered. Great sobs soon overcame him as he rose back up to his knees and wailed in agony.

Raven watched her partner sobbing in the moonlight. She cautiously stood up and slowly walked behind her grieving friend. Beast Boy's entire body heaved in misery. What could she possibly offer him? Instinctively she placed her hand on his shoulder. Beast Boy retracted slightly and ceased crying. He sniffled briefly before he was consumed by another round of sobs as he shivered harshly in the cold night air. Raven knelt down behind Beast Boy and wrapped her arms around his chest gently resting her chin on his shoulder. Beast Boy continued to weep under the shelter of Raven's cape.


End file.
